Tonight I Dream. Tomorrow I Do!

Tag Archives: Authentic Thai Food

I am now on Take 3 of the sourdough saga…I am not giving up…I went out bought wholemeal flour..ditched the expensive unbleached flour and started again, so far so good…We might get a sourdough loaf, fingers crossed…It has definitely been a learning curve but hey ho nothing in life is easy is it? Definitely not cooking.

You have probably noticed that my recipes are all cooked from scratch contain healthy ingredients which have proven health benefits…I am trying to break the mould or the myths that healthy food is bland and/or boring…There seems to be a barrier to me… we just need to know our food and what the benefits to our health is and cook accordingly.

I don’t spend hours in the kitchen and I don’t think that I buy special foods or expensive foods and I certainly don’t feel deprived in any way at all…It is also foods which we all eat ..grandkids included although we limit the heat for little Lily or take her portion out before we add all the chilli.

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Something I never thought I would try…Matcha Tea with Cheese… I first heard about this on John Reiber’s blog which I will say I love, John is always finding the quirky, the unusual and he loves bacon so that is a plus in my book…My comment was…

I am with Pete on this one…Cheese with Apple Pie( not melted) or cheese with Christmas cake as they do in the North of England I like …Cheese and tea does not appeal, although I will say I don’t drink many drinks at all my taste, is simple with regards to drinks water being my main tipple. Interesting to hear your view though John 🙂

Enter my grandson Aston with the said tea and cheese drink ” You must try this, Nannie it is so cool…I should have guessed that something like this would have found its way here…

I ummed and I ahhed and expressed my unwillingness to try it…Made with matcha green tea then cream cheese is frothed and added to the top…So I succumbed to Aston’s just try it, nan!

It wasn’t awful… It was ok…Would I buy one…No! But then I don’t buy drinks like that anyway but it really was ok and I can see it being a hit…

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This weeks curry… Red Duck Curry ( Kaeng Ped Pett Yang)

One of my favourite curries and one which I don’t have very often…why? Not sure really…I probably save it for special occasions.

I had Duck curry for the first time on a little island just off Phuket, Thailand it is a fiery curry offset by pineapple and tomatoes. Some add lychee as well as pineapple but we found it a little sweet for us but experiment, everyone’s taste is different….I also add some vegetables, mange tout or sugar snap peas, a few florets of brocolli..really whatever I have in the fridge.

Firstly cook your duck breasts, we like ours medium rare.

Put the duck skin side down in a cold pan, turn the heat to medium and cook the duck breasts for 6-8 minutes until the skin is golden and crispy, turn the breasts over and just sear the other side for 1 minute. Turn over so they are breast side up and put in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees for 7-9 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for 10 minutes before slicing the breasts thinly.

Sauce:

400ml coconut milk

1 tbsp fish sauce

3/4 cup fresh pineapple cut into bite-sized pieces.

10 cherry tomatoes.

6-10 mange tout..or other vegetables of your choice.

100gm Thai eggplant cut into quarters. ( Pictured below)

100gm pea eggplants( Pictured to the right above)

If you can’t get these any small eggplant will be ok I sometimes use small purple ones if I can’t get the green.

1-2 tbsp red curry paste.

6 kaffir lime leaves torn

Bunch Thai basil washed and leaves picked..

2 tsp lime juice.

To make sauce put a very tiny drop of oil in the pan over medium heat add your curry paste and stir to cook for 1 min, add fish sauce. Gradually add coconut milk whilst still stirring.

Bring to a slow boil and add torn lime leaves and eggplants cook for 5/6 mins and add tomatoes and pineapple, cook for a further 10 minutes then add mange tout and stir in some Thai basil leaves and lime juice.

Now taste and adjust curry paste if you want more heat. If anything else needs adjusting you can also do that now. Thai flavours are very pronounced and if you get it balanced ..very nice if not…I have had some disasters and I don’t mind admitting that…which is why I always sayTASTEandTasteagain.

The very first duck curry I made was ok…so we left out the lychee the next time and it was much better…also, I know which curry paste to now use as they are all so different…Please don’t let this put you off making it as when you get it right it is a lovely thing.

When you are ready to serve then add sliced duck to the sauce and just warm through and serve with some Thai basil over the top and slice red chilli if you like.

Serve with steamed rice.

Enjoy!

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My finds this week…Were not ones I chanced upon but ones I was searching for…I love green tea and am discovering more about the types and how they are produced and what health benefits they have… I always use loose leaf tea and if the green tea has a lot of stalks then it is a low-grade one the one I bought the other day is completely different in appearance it is like little buds I can also see and taste the difference this one has slightly more colour and a refined taste. Although how you brew your green tea makes a lot of difference and I don’t get that bitter green tea taste anymore…

Jin Xian Oolong No 12 Tea also known as Golden Lily Oolong tea is 100% organic and contains no artificial additives.

Grown in the northern mountains of Thailand 1200-1800 metres above sea level it is untouched by pollution… a low oxidised tea of twisted little balls /snails… Called BiLuoCun which means the green shell which because the tea is hand rolled it looks like small snail shells..hence the name.

Dut to its high concentration of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals it is said to increase the metabolism thus breaking down fat, reduce cholesterol and improve skin condition.

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Because I am cutting down on certain foods and want to increase my fibre I am going to eat more brown/wild rice which I love …Thailand is the home of rice and there are so many choices of rice…Types and colours it is awesome … I have decided to start eating more wild rice…the one I bought this week from the Royal Project Shop was Kaipa Wild Rice …Like my tea grown in the mountains of Northern Thailand…I am also trying to reduce our carbon footprints…

Kaipa Wild Rice...I know wild rice takes longer to cook however to cut down on the cooking time for brown or wild rice, soak it overnight. For brown rice, the water-to-rice ratio is 2 to 1. For wild rice, cover with a generous amount of water, several inches above the rice. Soak the rice in a covered pot and keep in the refrigerator about six hours or overnight.

This Highland brown rice is grown by the Pakayor hill tribe …It is long grain rice similar to Mali rice. The rice contains gamma oryzanol which is an antioxidant that helps prevent free radicals.

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If you are a fan of smoothies like me…I had a lovely one the other day…Mixed coloured tomatoes, green, red, orange and a couple of passionfruit…Try one it is lovely…

Put the pork fillet in a bowl with the first 7 ingredients. Now massage the pork with your hands to incorporate the marinade otherwise it will just sit in the ingredients and we want it to absorb the flavours anything we make here which has a marinade is massaged in with the hands. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Heat 2 tbsps of your oil then add your pork and stir fry for 2/3 minutes until it is almost cooked. Transfer to a plate.

Drain the oil from the pan and keep for stir-fries or something and add the other tbsp of oil and add your cabbage cook for 1 minute… I used cabbage as it added another texture/vegetable and next time I would add more cabbage.

Return the pork to the pan and add 2 tbsps of black bean sauce stir fry for 2 mins and taste add some salt if required.

Serve with rice or noodles and drizzle with sriracha or chilli oil.

Enjoy!

Our Verdict:

The pork was lovely and soft…I only used pork fillet as my little old pork man didn’t have the cut I normally buy and let me have it for the same price ..bless him…I am sure it would be equally as good with hip or with chicken…I thought it needed more chilli and cabbage…But I am a chilli fiend…Hubby loved it as it was. It is a nice quick meal to make and would make it again x

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Thank you very much for reading this post and if you have any tales from your kitchen you would love to share please do x

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Welcome to week 6 in my kitchen, The good news is my sourdough starter…Take 2…Still lives…

Chinese New Year celebrations have been in full swing …Lots of lights, Lion dances, loud music and firecrackers…Not forgetting yummy food…All will be revealed soon when I collate all my pictures.

My new favourite Coconut cream just gets better… it keeps wonderfully in the fridge for a week which is the longest and it stiffened up nicely so I am thinking it would make a nice filling for cream slices, a swiss roll or gateaux…Another project and it is healthy…Who said healthy food was boring and bland???

Papaya Salsa was my new experiment…Papaya is classed as one of the worlds healthiest foods and Christopher Columbus likened it to a fruit of the angels…In a salsa?? I made a small bowl to start and was pleasantly surprised.

I used 1 ripe tomato, a cup of papaya, 1 spring onion, a small shallot, a handful of chopped coriander and a cheek of fresh lime. Cut everything up small and mixed together…It was very nice…I would make it again but will add just a little chilli…It has to be done…haha

Eaten with my flatbreads ( last weeks post) it made a lovely little snack.

This weeks curry is for those hot curry lovers...I find seafood enhances the heat of the chillies…

This lovely spicy squid curry is not for the faint-hearted even I found it a tad hot.

But if you like a bit of heat, then this is just the curry for you.

Spicy Red Curried Squid.

This recipe is for two people but it is quite easy to double up the ingredients, it is also very quick to cook so prepare all your ingredients first and then in as much time as it takes to cook your rice you will have a beautiful curry.

Ingredients:

200 gm squid cleaned and cut into rectangles I normally score mine with a sharp knife( it just makes them look prettier).

1 shallot sliced

2 cloves of garlic crushed and chopped

1 tbsp Thai red curry paste

1 tomato cut into 8

A handful of pea eggplants( optional)

Sm piece of fresh ginger finely cut into slivers or cubes

Black pepper

Half tbsp of coconut oil

200 ml coconut milk

1/2 to 1 tbsp fish sauce.

Sm bunch of Thai basil

Ok…Let’s Cook!

Heat the oil in a wok until it is very hot and add garlic, shallots and curry paste, stir fry for 30 seconds.

Note: The Thai red curry paste I get is a very hot one which I get freshly made from my local market.

Add tomatoes, ginger and pea eggplants if used and stir-fry for 1 minute.

Add squid and pepper and stir-fry for a further 1 minute.

Add coconut milk and fish sauce stir well and cook on low heat for 2 minutes, stir in Thai basil.

Serve with steamed rice and……. Enjoy!

You have probably noticed that my recipes are all cooked from scratch contain healthy ingredients which have proven health benefits…I am trying to break the mould or the myths that healthy food is bland and/or boring…There seems to be a barrier to me… we just need to know our food and what the benefits to our health is and cook accordingly.

I don’t spend hours in the kitchen and I don’t think that I buy special foods or expensive foods and I certainly don’t feel deprived in any way at all…It is also foods which we all eat ..grandkids included although we limit the heat for little Lily or take her portion out before we add all the chilli.

My newly discovered fruit this week was the young Tamarind I have seen it for the last few weeks at the market and my daughter-in-law was up last weekend and bought some.

The fruit inside starts off white and tastes nutty and as it ripens it goes pink and you can slightly taste a sourness, the last stage when it is dried and you get the dark sticky tamarind is maybe the tamarind you see for sale in bright red boxes in your supermarket.

Tamarind like many fruits and vegetables has a long history of healing and aiding stomach disorders and is used as a laxative.

Tamarind Preparations are used for fevers, sore throats, inflammation of joints and sunstroke. The leaves dried or boiled are made into poultices to help reduce swollen joints, sprains, boils, haemorrhoids and conjunctivitis.

Dried this rather plain brown pod has the capacity to elevate your food to something else.

The family favourite this week was Pork filled rice flour skin wrappers…Our new favourite take away street food snack…

It was worth the queue the young man was giving out numbers and I have never seen anyone work that fast…The whole family loved them…Translucent rice flour skins with a ground/minced pork filling made from scratch right in front of me with…. a new herb for me… Pandan, or screw pine, also called pandanus, daun pandan, and screw palm is a shrub with strap-shaped leaves reminiscent of palm leaves. The leaves are long, thin, and narrow with a deep green colour, and are sold fresh, frozen, or dried.

I have used pandan to wrap and cook chicken in and as a colouring for a dessert but never sliced and used in a savoury dish much like I would use other herbs.

Some species of this plant have highly aromatic leaves that are prized in cooking. The flowers are also aromatic, and an extract called kewra(or keora) is made from them and used in Indian milk-based sweets. They are widely used throughout Southeast Asia and other tropical regions.

Have a great weekend and please share with us anything you have made this week or even any kitchen disasters all your comments make my day xxx

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Good morning I hope you had a good week last week… mine was ok…Although I have given myself a good kick up the proverbial just about an hour ago…Butt kicking it is called…haha…

Last week I covered Anti-inflammatory foods and Added Sugars ...When you break it down it does all point to healthy eating…Not boring and bland…Delicious healthy food with a moderate amount of excise thrown in…

What makes us reach for the biscuit tin or the chocolate bar??

Stress...Comes in all forms from the kid’s untidy bedrooms to an ever-demanding boss…I could write a long list but it comes in so many guises.

What we need is not Ghostbusters but Stress Busters.

Although if you watched a few episodes back to back it would probably de-stress you…haha…

Seriously though Sally published an article on stress which is well worth a read she covers everything much of it based on her own weight loss experiences her weight loss is impressive there are no holds barred she is brutally honest about herself.

Of course, a healthy diet sometimes needs to be based on your bodies requirements for example if you have a particular medical condition or diagnosed allergy so I will try to give you meals and recipes but also highlight the benefits of certain ingredients I find it helps if you know what you need to eat for optimum health after all we only have one body…

Also over at Sally’s, she is starting a new series soon for which I am providing recipes which will be highlighting vitamins and minerals also the foods which contain them. I think it is a brilliant idea and will help us all eat for optimum health which is my aim …How about you…??

Now that dreaded word exercise…This girl is brilliant…

Time for some recipes…This one is super easy and so tasty and for those of you like me who are experiencing beautiful weather or just because you want a nice healthy snack…Papaya Salsa… Called the fruit of the Angels by Christopher Columbus it is packed with Vitamin A & C and rich in sources of antioxidants especially carotenes so married with the tomato and lime Juice it is a healthy little bowl of salsa.

All you need is papaya, tomato, onions and coriander and some freshly squeezed lime juice…You can make enough for one or enough for a party…Just mix it all up together and enjoy!

If you are experiencing ultra cold weather then, of course, you want something nice and warming…

Today I am giving you one of my favourite dishes Asparagus is very plentiful here and one of my favourite stir fries with prawns, lemongrass and lime leaves. It is also a good source of Vitamin C.

Very quick and easy to do once you get your ingredients together.

Prawn and Asparagus Stir Fry.

Ingredients:

250 gm asparagus cut in half…asparagus is very thin here but if you are using thicker asparagus then either shave the asparagus or cut into 3-inch pieces.

A small piece of ginger peeled and grated.

1 stalk of lemongrass bashed and very finely chopped.

4 lime leaves very thinly sliced

3-4 tbsp of fish sauce

1 tbsp palm sugar or light muscovado sugar

1 tbsp coconut oil

10 raw king prawns either peeled or leave the tails on.

1 shallot thinly sliced

1-2 Thai birds eye chillies finely sliced

2-3 cloves of garlic finely chopped

4 spring onions cut into 2-inch pieces

Lets Cook!

Mix together the ginger, lemongrass, lime leaves, fish sauce and sugar and put to one side.

Meanwhile, heat the wok on high and when it’s really hot add the oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add in the king prawns and stir-fry for one to two minutes, until the prawns have gone pink with slightly golden edges. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Add the onion to the wok and stir-fry for two minutes. Add the chilli, garlic and spring onion and stir-fry for a further four minutes until the onions have softened. Add the asparagus and stir-fry for a further minute.

Finally, add the prawns, pour over the sauce which was prepared earlier, and cook until the sauce becomes sticky (around three minutes).

Serve immediately with Thai steamed rice and enjoy!

Day 5 of my sourdough starter …Take 2…So far so good…Just saying!

Anti- Ageing Food Corner:

Green Tea…My first drink of the day is a pot of green tea…What is Green Tea?

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Green tea is produced from unoxidized leaves which means it goes through fewer processes thus it has more antioxidants and polyphenols than it’s sister black tea.

Green Tea has been used for many thousands of years in traditional Chinese and Indian medicines.

The amount of research into the medicinal properties of green tea is mind-blowing and very interesting in this case I am looking at the anti ageing properties.

Green tea is about 30 per cent polyphenols by weight, including large amounts of catechin called EGCG. Catechins are natural antioxidants that help prevent cell damage and provide other benefits.

These substances can reduce the formation of free radicals in the body, protecting cells and molecules from damage. These free radicals are known to play a role in ageing and all sorts of diseases.

Not only can green tea improve brain function in the short term, but it may also protect your brain in old age.

Thank you for reading this post I am happy that you joined me today.

For delicious healthy recipes, hints and tips on exercise and stress-busting.

I hope you thought so too xxx

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Welcome to my kitchen already one month has gone and we are in February…I still haven’t tackled that cupboard as I have been sorting out bookshelves and moving them.

My sourdough starter which was on day 7 has died I think because it was lively and I put it in the fridge overnight it was not strong enough ( Celia did warn me)…I killed it!

Today I started again…Take 2…Day 1… Still, it gives my proving basket time to arrive my bargain of the week at half the price Amazon charged and the same make…

Our chicken dish this week was another Thai curry this time a Massaman Curry…

Thai massaman is a rich, creamy fairly mild Thai curry sometimes tomatoes are added and traditionally cashews but can be optional. Vegetables are also varied depending on what is available or in season… play with the flavours. some variations add fruit like pineapple or oranges. The curry paste also has a distinctive orange colour and is in oil so immediately recognisable from other Thai red curry pastes. Some of the ingredients used in the making of massaman paste are not traditionally used in other Thai curries for example star anise, cloves and cardamom but are believed to have been introduced to Thai Muslims by Persian traders. The name massaman is believed to have evolved from the word Mussulman which is another word for Muslim.

500 gm chicken breasts/ thighs

2 med potatoes cut into cubes

1 tbsp of massaman curry paste

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp of oil

Bunch coriander chopped

6 baby corns halved

Handful sugar snap peas halved

Few mushrooms quartered

Med tomato sliced ( optional)

¼ cup unsalted cashews( optional)

400 ml Coconut milk

Let’s Cook!

Add oil to a pan and stir in 1 tbsp massaman curry paste add tbsp fish sauce and cook for a minute to release flavours.
Add chicken and stir to combine with curry mix add coconut cream and potatoes. Bring to a soft simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked. And potatoes are soft.
Taste and adjust seasoning if required more fish sauce or curry paste.
Add corn, peas, mushrooms and tomato if used and cook for a further 7-10 minutes stirring occasionally.
Stir in coriander reserving some for garnish.
Add cashews and cook for 2 mins.
Serve with steamed rice and garnish with coriander and chopped cashews.

Enjoy!

My new dish this week is a vegetarian one the recipe given to me by Darlene author of the Amanda books… A lentil stew from Syria.

Place lentils and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.
In the meantime, heat oil in a frying pan and sauté onions over medium heat until they begin to brown. Stir in garlic and rice and stir-fry for another 3 minutes.

Add frying pan contents along with remaining ingredients, except basil, to lentils and bring to a boil. Cook another 20 minutes, adding more water if necessary. Remove from heat and stir in basil.

Enjoy! Nice with pitta bread.

Note: I usually cut the recipe in half as it makes a lot.
*Did you know that lentils are good for anaemia, low blood pressure and ulcers.
From my favourite cookbook, Classic Vegetarian Cooking from the Middle East and North Africa by Habeeb Salloum.

Thank you, Darlene it was delicious I used really fine vermicelli noodles, fresh ginger as I grow my own and don’t use dried and Thai basil…It definitely makes a lot though I am pleased I halved the recipe on your advice xxx

My go-to flatbread recipe…

1/2 cup water.

1/4 cup of milk

2 cups flour.

1 tbsp Baking Powder.

2 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp salt.

Let’s Cook!

Sift dry ingredients together. Add liquids and mix thoroughly…I used my food processor and it took literally 2 mins…. if that and formed a ball. If it is too sticky add little more flour. Divide into 8 pieces. Flatten with the heel of the hand and roll out very thin.

My first attempt at this and I didn’t roll mine out thin enough to start with.

Heat pan and cook 2/3 minutes each side turn over with tongs or fish slice and done… finito..ready to fill…easy peasy.

Flat breads

Lastly, I am trying to cut down not only on added sugars but fat and I have seen many recipes for making a non-dairy cream with coconut cream/milk that I thought it was time I tried it as this is the home of coconuts…haha…

Coconut milk is in the fridge as is the stainless steel pot and the whisk blades…Christmas Pudding on to steam …Yep you heard it correctly my Thai daughter in law loves Christmas Pudding and we have some left so our treat after dinner is a bit of Christmas pudding with this coconut non-dairy cream…

Wow..that was easy it whipped up in about 2 minutes if that I added nothing and it was very nice even hubby who loves fresh cream and lots of it had to admit it tasted good…I think it is easier here as our coconut milk is 100% no additives at all…I will be making this in future and it is so much healthier. A non-dairy cream which would go with any dessert.

I would also like to thank everyone who follows my blog…If I don’t message you a thank you it is because I can’t as your Gravatar doesn’t link to your blog or there is no outside link to your self hosted blog …Not having that could potentially lose you, readers, it does seem to be a common mistake when setting up a blog and indeed one I made until someone kindly pointed it out to me…Pete has outlined everything in this blog post which for me was most opportune I hope it helps you…How to link your Gravatar to your blog.

Have a great weekend and please share with us anything you have made this week or even any kitchen disasters all your comments make my day xxx

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Welcome to my new series… Week One …In my kitchen… where you will get an insight into what I have been cooking this week…Plus a bit of chat and trivia it would be boring otherwise…

It has been a bit slow this week as we all know the week after Christmas and the New Year just eases itself in with a whisper…Or comes in with a bang…and no I haven’t blown up my new oven…

The last of our guests went home today so peace and quiet reigns…It has been hectic but lovely so hubby is out in the garden sweeping up the leaves although a stinker of a tropical storm is expected the first New Year storm of this magnitude for 68 years we are not in the direct path although we may still experience high winds I haven’t had the heart to tell him his sweeping may be in vain…

My son has gone back to the UK and has probably just about landed…When he returns he goes back with his suitcase packed with goodies…Fresh herbs ones which he can’t get in the UK…a blow your head off Thai Curry paste for his brother and bottles of cooking sauces again which he cannot get there and coconut milk because believe it or not he cannot get 100% Coconut milk…The max % is about 60% of brands the ones we buy here are 100%…

When he told me this I was appalled but as he said it is cheaper for manufacturers to add guar gum and the like … for examplecoconut extract (56 per cent), water, stabiliser (E466), emulsifier (E435), antioxidant (citric acid). E466 is another name for carboxymethyl cellulose. E435 is another name for polysorbate 60.

Mine here 100% Coconut Milk…

Kitchen Tip: Try to find a brand which only contains coconut milk and water and if you can’t and use one of the other brands be careful not to let the liquid boil as it will separate.

I also made him some Indian spice mixes to take with him…

Chettinad Masala Powder:

Ingredients:

16 dried red chillies

4 tsp of black pepper

3 tbsp cumin seeds

3 tbsp dried unsweetened coconut

4 tbsp coriander seeds

2 bay leaves

4-star anise

8 cloves

4 x 1 inch sticks of cinnamon

4 tbsp fennel seeds

20 fresh/dried curry leaves

Dry roast all the ingredients you may have to do this in a couple of batches depending on your pan but be careful not to burn the spices.

Transfer to a plate or dish and allow to cool down before grinding to a powder.

Store in an airtight container. This recipe makes enough for 3/4 curries.

The original recipe I found on Madraasi @ a Tamilian Tales and is now my go-to Indian curry spice mix and one we all love…

The second Indian spice I made for him to take back was a Garam Masala Powder.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp Coriander seeds

3 tbsp cumin seeds

6 whole cloves

10 green cardamom pods

2 large bay leaves

4 dried red chillies

2-inch piece of cinnamon

1 large piece of mace

2 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 tbsp of fennel seeds

Roast each spice in a non-stick pan until warm and fragrant. Cool completely then grind the spices to a fine powder this will keep in an airtight container for about 3 months and then the spices will start to lose their flavour.

Use as per your recipe.

I always grind my own spices as it is so easy to do they are fresh and much cheaper than buying those small pots or packages with of course additives.

It also makes a lovely present with a handwritten recipe everyone likes to receive a homemade gift …I love to send them x

I came across this recipe for Gluten Free Banana Pancakes when I was reading blogs this morning and as I have a glut of bananas I thought I have most of the ingredients although I did a little tweak here and there and they were very nice even hubby liked them…Thank you, Bailey, from bites by bai they were lovely.

Maple Walnut Banana Pancakes…

Ingredients:

1 ripe banana

3/4 of a cup of rolled oats

2 large organic eggs

1 tsp of baking soda

1 tsp of maple syrup

Chopped banana, blueberries, walnuts and maple syrup to serve.

Put the banana, oats, eggs, baking soda and maple syrup in the blender and blitz until smooth and well combined.

Heat your pan and add some mix cook for about 2 mins each side I did find they cooked quite quickly so watch you don’t burn them…

Serve with sliced banana, blueberries or fruit of your choice, walnuts and maple syrup…They were actually very yummy…

I didn’t have gluten-free oats so mine were not gluten-free but still healthy and I had no maple syrup extract so substituted maple syrup, the walnuts I caramelised and I didn’t have blueberries…and I cooked mine in grass-fed butter… I will make them again and next time will add blueberries as they will add that touch of tartness…

Last night we had Grapow moo with morning-glory which is a lovely Thai vegetable stir-fried with garlic and chillies.

Stir-fried Morning Glory or Pad Pak Boon Fai Daeng is also known as water spinach…It is a very popular vegetable dish in Thailand and one I have for breakfast/brunch quite often with rice.
This is a very quick dish to cook once you have all your ingredients prepared..5 mins at the most.Ingredients:

1 bunch of Morning Glory

4-6 cloves of garlic

3 or more Thai Chillies

2 tbsp of Oyster Sauce

1 tbsp of Thai Fish Sauce

1 tbsp of fermented soybean paste or oil with soya beans

1 tsp sugar

1/2 to 1 tbsp of oil

1/4 cup fresh veg or pork stock

Let’s Cook!
Wash and cut your morning-glory into 4-6 inch pieces.
Bash the chillies and garlic in a pestle and mortar
Heat the oil in a pan until very hot.
Add the garlic and chillies and stir-fry ( stirring) for 15-20 seconds be careful not to let garlic burn.
Add morning-glory and all other ingredients except for the vegetable stock.
Stir-fry for 40 seconds and add vegetable stock and stir-fry for another 10 seconds.
Serve with steamed rice.
Enjoy!

On my trip to the market the other morning I came across some lovely pigs trotters I haven’t cooked them for years they used to be a favourite of my dads and I remember my mum cooking them…I will be checking out some recipes and will share with you next week I am going to cook them in the slow cooker and try to crisp up the skin…

That’s all for this week from me I will be back in full swing next week so I hope you will join me …If you love what you read then please share, reblog or pin the recipes I am trying to raise my profile on Pinterest it would help me lots x

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Thank you, Sally, for hosting me once again… Nearly time for all the Christmas recipes…I love this time of year just wish it was a little colder(sort of)…lol…It adds to the atmosphere of Christmas…Hugs x

Hello and welcome wasn’t it fun last Wednesday at Sally’s Halloween party? I hope you all enjoyed our post on Onions and Garlic it certainly kept the vampires away and didn’t our Sally look absolutely amazing?

The week before Halloween I posted on how to make perfect Fried rice and it seemed from the comments to be a popular post…I also discovered that many of you love stir fries and dishes which can be made quickly and are just as easy to make for one as for 6 people. A boon when you are working or have writing deadlines to meet and know that you do need to eat but don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen but want a tasty meal…

Most Thai meals are stir fried…Thais don’t have ovens like we do and many just cook on one ring or an open fire so one wok and…

Cook Belly Pork in the oven until tender and crispy. For about 30 mins.

I normally cook on about 180/200 degrees to start and then reduce heat slightly to160 degrees. When the pork is tender turn up the heat to crisp the pork. When nice and crispy remove the pork from the oven and chop into bite pieces.

Heat the wok or large frypan and add half tablespoon oil.

Add crushed garlic and chillies, add little hot water and cook for 1 min…at this point the chillies may overpower you..ha ha….turn on expel fan and add chopped Kale.

Stems first if using as they take longer to cook. I use stems of Kale also if they are quite thick slice into 2-inch pieces.

Cook for 2 mins and add remainder of Kale leaves and turn over a few times ….I use fish slice as I find it easier to just turn kale over.

Add 2 tbsp Oyster Sauce and 1 tbsp Soy along with few shakes of Maggi ( seasoning Sauce). Taste and adjust if necessary. Cook for further 2/3 mins.

Add crispy Pork turn or stir a few times to mix.

Check the seasoning again and serve with steamed rice.

Enjoy!

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!